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A Nation and Its Demons (9804)

As 'The Rite' hits the silver screen, Church finds need for exorcists is more real than ever.

Ashley Bell stars in the 2010 movie "The Last Exorcism." The release today of "The Rite" is continuing to engender interest in the Church's practice of exorcism.

– CNS photo/Lionsgate

ROME — In an age where psychodrama sells, exorcism is a media darling.

It’s a step above mere horror stories into a dimension we find both loathsome yet compelling. It is a drama that is hard to shake off, for the Catholic Church recognizes demonic possession as a reality.

Thus, any exorcism movie inevitably includes a Catholic priest, standing in the person of Jesus, with the power to expel demons through the rite of exorcism.

The latest entry in the spate of exorcism movies, The Rite, was released Friday by Warner Bros. Starring Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins, the film follows a skeptical seminary student who attends exorcism school at the Vatican. It is inspired by the real-life training of Father Gary Thomas from the United States, which is chronicled in the book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist by journalist Matt Baglio. Father Thomas, ordained in 1983, volunteered to be trained for his diocese.

“When I went to Rome on sabbatical, the bishop suggested I take a course on exorcism there,” Father Thomas explained. The course, offered at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum College, covered the spiritual, medical, historical and sociological aspects of demonic forces. However, Father Thomas said his real learning came through assisting with 80 exorcisms in eight months under Father Carmine De Filippis, an experienced exorcist. Initially, he questioned if people’s reactions were genuine.

“I wondered if people were just acting or if there was a placebo effect,” he said. Flailing about, protracted yawns, drooling, falling out of chairs and guttural voices did not necessarily prove demonic possession, he reasoned.

But as the manifestations he witnessed became more extreme, such as speaking languages a person had never studied, knowing things they had no way of knowing, taking on a serpentine appearance and vomiting nails, Father Thomas said he became convinced.

Need for More Exorcists

As an advisor on the movie set, Father Thomas stated that the exorcism scenes contain behaviors that he himself has witnessed. “In Rome, going to see an exorcist has become commonplace, like going to see a dentist.” he said. Father Thomas explained that an increase in occult practices in Italy is believed to be responsible for increased demonic activity and the need for more trained exorcists.

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., considers that the United States has a pressing need for more exorcists; the dozen or so exorcists in this country feel overburdened by calls from outside their diocese. He spearheaded a two-day closed-door conference on exorcism for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops last November, which more than 50 bishops and over 60 priests attended. “No statistics are kept as to how many exorcists we have,” he said, “but every diocese should really have its own resources.”

There is a specific rite of exorcism requiring permission from the bishop to perform. It consists of prayers by the priest, who commands the demon to come out and leave a person or place in peace. Not all exorcisms are dramatic, and some can be even mundane.

The exorcist usually works in union with another priest and/or with a deliverance team. According to Bishop Paprocki, the “deliverance” aspect is a modern addition, having grown up through charismatic prayer groups that focus on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He explained that during the 1960s and 1970s the devil’s work received less emphasis in the Church. The charismatic groups which formed during those decades, however, tended to focus more on deliverance of people from evil. Most exorcists today turn to such groups to be part of an exorcism and deliverance team, to pray for and with them. Another aspect to the team approach is the use of health-care professionals to screen for mental illness.

Msgr. John Esseff of the Diocese of Scranton, Pa., has been a priest for 57 years and an exorcist in his diocese for 40. According to him, proper screening is essential, because, more often than not, mental illness is the problem.

“Possessions are rare,” he said. “I’ve only seen two, but between possession and temptation, the devil can also oppress and obsess.”

These cases fall under the “deliverance” aspect of the ministry. “With oppression, a physical force comes against a person, such as throwing them to the ground like [what] happened with St. Padre Pio and St. John Vianney,” Msgr. Esseff explained. “Then there is obsession, where a person is attacked with thoughts or characteristics that keep coming back, but this could also be caused by mental illness.”

Book Not Accurate?

Father Patrick (not his real name) is an exorcist trained by Msgr. Esseff. He said that his team helps him to investigate cases and to pray over people. “Deliverance is a form of pastoral care,” he said. “With exorcism, the person can’t help themselves anymore. With deliverance, there are different levels of what they can do for themselves.”

He said he has handled cases ranging from trauma due to satanic ritual abuse to people who just need to make changes in their lifestyle.

Margarett Schlientz is on a deliverance team and often works with Msgr. Esseff. She has a master’s degree in spirituality from Creighton University and a doctorate in psychiatric nursing. Schlientz has worked with exorcists for the past 35 years, and for the last five years, she has coordinated an annual exorcism training and support meeting for bishops and priests.

She challenged the book on which the movie is based. “It’s missing good discernment of spirits,” she claimed. “The exorcist was seeing someone for nine years. They are either missing something or you have someone who does not really want to be delivered.”

Father Thomas responded to that criticism. “Nine years is an awful long time,” he agreed. “Father Carmine did not involve health professionals. The [exorcism] course called for it, but other than having people praying from a distance, he did not have outside support. He was concerned about protecting people’s privacy, so yes, as a result, he may have sacrificed discernment.”

Msgr. Esseff also cautioned that the sensationalism from books and movies could lead people to forget that the battle between good and evil is not between two equal forces.
“God will be the victor. Jesus is God, and through the power of Jesus, the devil is vanquished.”

He said that every priest’s greatest power to overcome evil is through the sacramental power of his priesthood. “A priest can hear confessions and forgive sins,” he said. “One confession is worth 100 exorcisms. The devil wants to destroy the soul, and the soul is healed by confession.”

Msgr. Esseff concludes, “If people want to decrease the work of Satan, they need to increase the use of confession.”

Comments

As a scientist, I don’t know how anyone could deny the existence of evil - all one has to do is watch the evening news. Just like white and black - light and dark - day and night - the existence of one proves the other. Satan can be seen today as easily as we can see Jesus - in other’s deeds!

Posted by Michalle on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2011 7:33 PM (EST):

something the devil wants us to believe is that he doesn´t exist. And it happens that men prefer not to believe in him. sometimes we want to forget devil`s existance and live without any more trouble.

Posted by Fr. Michael Johnson on Monday, Feb 7, 2011 4:06 PM (EST):

Gentlemen,

“Msgr. Esseff concludes, ‘If people want to decrease the work of Satan, they need to increase the use of confession.’” This, the concluding sentence of the article, was its best and truest.
It has been disheartening to see this precious Sacrament trivialized into “Reconciliation” or; worse, psychotherapy; or, worst, not even appearing on the signboards of many churches. Pelagianism is very alive and well these days, and consequently, so too is Satan and his malingn influence.
Jesus Christ gave us the Sacraments as the principal vehicles of grace in this world, and woe to those too proud or “too intelligent” to use and benefit from them.

Posted by nancy on Saturday, Feb 5, 2011 5:46 PM (EST):

Reading these comments has been a graced experience! I feel that many fail to utilize the grace of the sacrament of Penance because they think they have no sin. I long to hear good practical preaching about sin in the modern era. Most of us aren’t murderers or thieves but we kill in so many unbloody ways. We fail to see that our tongues can slash and destroy another. Our greed for material goods robs the poor of bread or their retirement. I beg our priests to please preach more often and simply about what is a sin. Give concrete examples and talk in plain talk. Our people perish for want of leaders. (Jeremiah)

Posted by Jean-Ann on Friday, Feb 4, 2011 5:06 PM (EST):

Ann satin is alive and well—he is the father of lies.The proof—he seduced you in denouncing your faith and disbelief in the reality of his existance—thats his job.-very good at it would’nt you say?

Mrs. Smith…I too thought I knew better than the Church and joined a non denominational “community” years ago. Almost right away, I developed a chronic respiratory infection, which plagued me til the day…a Sunday, when an aquaintance called, (hadn’t seen or talked to her for over a year) & said she had a dream that she picked me up and took me to Mass and suggested that is what she should do. (she had no way of knowing I was ill and away from the Sacraments)I told her I could not manage it “even if I wanted to.” Then she replied, “I’ll be there in 20 minutes!” She came, helped me get ready and I reluctantly went along. My biggest hang-up had been The Eucharist. I doubted the Real Presence of Christ/ God “in a wafer of bread.” But I said a prayer, “Lord if you are truly here, body, blood, soul and divinity, I want to know.” As the priest elevated the Host, suddenly the veil of my ignorance and doubts was lifted and I saw (spiritually) the baby Jesus, in a cold manger - the King of Kings, coming to mankind as man! I knew in my heart, that He truly is here for us, as he was for the apostles and his precious mother, Mary. Guess what!? At that moment, I was also phyisically healed!! I not only felt better, I had never felt so good! Get ye to the nearest adoration chapel, my ‘friend’ and then, find a good priest to hear your confession. You will be amazed at the Love of God, that will invade your heart and soul! I love you in Christ our Lord/ Our Bread of Life!

Posted by Bill on Tuesday, Feb 1, 2011 1:07 AM (EST):

Mrs. Smith, I too was raised Catholic and strayed from the church. God allowed me to see a 4 year boy fall 7 stories to the ground and walk away without a scratch. I interviewed a man for hours who brutally murdered 2 family members (he smiled and laughed the entire time at what he had done). I felt the presence of evil in him so strongly that the hair on my head stood up. That still wasn’t enough for me until I saw several more miracles that happened in my family. I started to pray for hours a day and attend church weekly for 1 FULL YEAR. Finally, I went to confessions and shortly thereafter I had a divine experience with God that I could never deny. I literally felt his presence, and in an instant he has given me gifts that I never had before (not materialistic). My family and I pray everyday and go to church at least once a week. God gives us many signs to bring us back or closer to him. The fact that you despise the Catholic Church but have been led to read this article and post a comment, is an invitation from God. You just don’t recognize it yet, but someday it will be known to you. Go to confessions and give a true confession. Go to church and receive communion and pray daily and I promise you your life will change forever. I can write a book about my journey that would make your head spin. I will pray for you and everyone else who reads this should do the same. God Bless.

Posted by TeaPot562 on Monday, Jan 31, 2011 4:10 PM (EST):

@Anne Smith;
Perhaps a visit (in a tour group) to Dachau and Auschwitz might persuade you as to the possibility of the existence of demons, creatures of evil unalloyed with any goodness. As another example, consider the abortionist recently arrested in Pennsylvania.
If we humans, by our actions, invite unknown spirits into our lives by either evil habits or occult practices, we become easy prey.
May God find you in providing a Christian group that you can accept.
TeaPot562

Posted by Steve Gauthier on Monday, Jan 31, 2011 8:36 AM (EST):

Mrs. Smith

It amazes me the amount of people that choose to believe in God but not the Devil. It seams to me that one cannot pick and choose. You either believe in the holy Catholic Church and its teachings or you don’t. And if we Catholics are truly insane for this belief then you are saying that over 1 billion people around the world are crazy. Not to mention the other 5 billion who also believe in some God and some form of Evil!

And please stop blaming pedophile priest for everything!! Although they are abhorrent there are many many more pedophile teachers, doctors and parents then there are priest in the world!

Posted by patti on Monday, Jan 31, 2011 1:59 AM (EST):

Anne, you obviously no longer believe in the Bible either. Giving in to the temptation of the devil does not absolve anyone from guilt. We are the ones that decide to sin or not. The Church does not teach that the existence of the devil excuses sinful behavior. If you do not believe in possession, then you must think that all priests, bishops and up to the Pope throughout all of Christianity are all delusional too. I’m wondering if you really understand the teachings you have rejected.

Posted by Anne Smith on Sunday, Jan 30, 2011 4:43 PM (EST):

No wonder nobody goes to church anymore. This is 2011, anyone who still believes in the demon (evil) or whatever you want to call it, should have their heads examined, the sooner the better and this includes the clergy. The catholic church is so paranoid, it is not even funny. I was born and raised catholic but I am now 65 and know better. And no, the devil had nothing to do with it. The church choose to believe in the devil because of all their pedophile priests. This is likely the excuse for such behavior and it avoids responsibility of any kind.

Posted by BOB Gardner on Saturday, Jan 29, 2011 12:38 PM (EST):

good article….I was also glad to see that confession was inserted into the closing. I think that too few people take full advantage of what is offered by good, frequent confessions: true peace, a new appreciation for life and a new love for God obtained through the forgiveness of one’s sins. While it is hard for a person to return to the Lord and immediately change their way of life right there on the spot, the journey back to God is a process that takes time (and often times many confessions ((from personal experience…)) ). This battle is finally won only when we die in the state of grace and obtain what will be a wonderful surprise: Heaven and the Beatific Vision

I like this article. It is not sensational and presents a good, practical approach to the subject.

Between doing nothing and promoting formal exorcism there is deliverance ministry.

And Msgr. Esseff is right; confession is also something of a deliverance and an exorcism of sorts.

Concerning formal exorcism where prior written consent should best be given, I think deacons (permanent or transitory) could be trained (Vatican school or apprenticeship) for this since priests are somewhat scarce in our time. There is (or was) the minor order of “exorcists” prior to the ordination of deacons.

Posted by Susan on Saturday, Jan 29, 2011 1:37 AM (EST):

I’m always wary of what Hollywood does with this subject. It’s good to know that it’s handled well in this movie. I love the line, “One confession is worth 100 exorcisms.” We have to remember where the real power is!

Posted by colleen Matthewson on Friday, Jan 28, 2011 11:31 PM (EST):

Thanks for the article. I will not see this movie because this stuff scares me. It’s real and I want to be far away from it as possible. I hope it scares people back into the church.

I am grateful to Patti for a sound article - helping us to appreciate more, the power of the Sacrament of Confession! We need to be encouraged to avail ourselves to this great healing gift, from the pulpit! I’m happy to learn that the Bishops are taking the problem of oppression/ posession so seriously these days. With the rise of evil influences through television, film, print and other sources of “entertainment,” which give the evil one an “in,” we see the corresponding rise in mental afflictions and even outright posession. Let us encourage others to avoid pastimes which can lead to the need for exorcism and stay close to Christ through His Church; Sacraments, Rosary, Liturgy of the hours and reading the lives of the saints etc.

Posted by Sharon McGonegal on Friday, Jan 28, 2011 8:02 PM (EST):

We forget that we invite the evil one and give him permission in our lives by our sins. This invitation is negated with a thorough and sincere confession.

Posted by Sharon McGonegal on Friday, Jan 28, 2011 7:45 PM (EST):

Have recently been healed through the sacrament of confession of a life-long tendancy towards sadness,bitterness and resentment which continued to plague me for 25 years, even after coming into the Church, mostly without my being aware of the burden I carried. I wholeheartedly vouch for the incredible healing power of this sacrament. After a lifetime of inviting these demons into our lives by our attitudes and actions,it sometimes requires many years to rid ourselves of them, but God is faithful.

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